1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to patient monitoring and therapy. Although embodiments make specific reference to monitoring impedance and electrocardiogram signals with an adherent patch, the system methods and device described herein may be applicable to many applications in which physiological monitoring is used, for example wireless physiological monitoring for extended periods.
Patients are often treated for diseases and/or conditions associated with a compromised status of the patient, for example a compromised physiologic status. In some instances, a patient may report symptoms that require diagnosis to determine the underlying cause. For example, a patient may report fainting or dizziness that requires diagnosis, in which long term monitoring of the patient can provide useful information as to the physiologic status of the patient. In some instances, a patient may have suffered a heart attack and require care and/or monitoring after release from the hospital. One example of a device to provide long term monitoring of a patient is the Holter monitor, or ambulatory electrocardiography device. In addition to measuring heart signals with electrocardiograms, known physiologic can include many kinds of measurements, for example impedance measurements to measure hydration of the patient.
Work in relation to embodiments of the present invention suggests that known methods and apparatus for long term monitoring of patients may be less than ideal. At least some of the known devices may not be configured to transmit data optimally from a patient measurement device a patient monitoring center, for example from a wearable device to a backend server. For example, when several patients are monitored many wireless devices may be used. At least some of these devices may be allowed to communicate simultaneously through a single gateway device, such that communication through the gateway device may become slow, for example somewhat slower than ideal. In at least some instances, important information may not pass through the gateway to a remote site in a timely manner. In addition, at least some of the known communication schemes may not provide a well maintained path from the gateway to the remote site and/or backend server, such that communication from the gateway to the remote site and/or backend server can be further delayed in some instances. Some of the known systems for patient monitoring can be expensive and/or cumbersome to use, such that at least some patients may be deprived of the potential benefit of extended monitoring such as at home monitoring.
Some of the known communication systems may be less than ideal for patient monitoring. Although some known wireless devices can permit pairing, at least some of these known pairing schemes may not provide sufficient flexibility and ease of use for patient monitoring. Known pairing schemes, for example Bluetooth connections for cellular phones, can be somewhat cumbersome and may not be well suited for patient monitoring in at least some instances. Although hard wiring may facilitate paring with some devices in some instances, hardwiring may result in less flexibility and may not be well suited for patient monitoring, for example when a device paired with hard wiring is replaced with another hard wired device.
Therefore, a need exists for improved patient monitoring. Ideally, such improved patient monitoring would avoid at least some of the short-comings of the present methods and devices.
2. Description of the Background Art
The following U.S. Patents and Publications may describe relevant background art: U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,121,573; 4,955,381; 4,981,139; 5,080,099; 5,353,793; 5,511,553; 5,544,661; 5,558,638; 5,724,025; 5,772,586; 5,862,802; 5,944,659; 6,047,203; 6,117,077; 6,129,744; 6,225,901; 6,385,473; 6,416,471; 6,454,707; 6,527,711; 6,527,729; 6,551,252; 6,595,927; 6,595,929; 6,605,038; 6,645,153; 6,659,947; 6,821,249; 6,980,851; 6,988,989; 7,020,508; 7,054,679; 7,130,396; 7,153,262; 2003/0092975; 2004/0225199; 2005/0113703; 2005/0131288; 2006/0010090; 2006/0031102; 2006/0074462; 2006/0089679; 2006/0122474; 2006/0142820; 2006/0155183; 2006/0202816; 2006/0224051; 2006/0235281; 2006/0264730; 2007/0015973; 2007/0180047; 2007/0038038; and 2007/0021678.